Child and youth emergency service
The Emergency Service for Children and Young People has been run by SFZ Förderzentrum gGmbH on behalf of the City of Chemnitz since 1 July 2019. Children and young people who have left or had to leave their parents’ home for various reasons receive care, accommodation and meals from the staff until a solution to the problem or another accommodation or care option has been found.
Find support from the emergency service:
- Children and young people who are in distress and report to the emergency service themselves
- Children and young people who are picked up by security forces and brought to the emergency service
- Children and young people who need to be removed from their current environment immediately
- unaccompanied foreign children and young people.
The legal basis is provided by Sections 42 and 42a of SGB VIII of the Child and Youth Welfare Act.
Taking into care, crisis intervention and the provision of protection in accordance with Section 8a of SGB VIII, Sections 42, 42a et seq. of SGB VIII.
Further services outside the office hours of the Youth Welfare Office:
- Telephone counselling for private individuals on the issue of child endangerment
- Counselling for professionals from schools, youth welfare services and security forces
Information on free places in the child and youth emergency service:
Key questions and answers:
Taking a minor into care in accordance with Section 42 SGB VIII is a necessary protective measure if a minor is in an acute crisis or danger and therefore needs to be temporarily taken into care outside of their parents' home. Such a care centre is also known as a child and youth emergency service, or KJND for short. Taking children into care is a temporary, socio-educational intervention measure in a current crisis situation around the clock, 365 days a year and 24 hours a day.
The legislator has enshrined this standard in Section 42 of the Eighth Social Code (SGB VIII).
The protection of children, ensuring the welfare of children, taking children into care if their welfare is at risk and providing places and facilities for taking children into care are mandatory tasks of the City of Chemnitz.
The primary aim is to prevent the child's welfare from being jeopardised and to protect the child or young person from (imminent) life-threatening or development-threatening neglect, child abuse, sexual violence or lack of care (e.g. hospitalisation, inaccessibility or death of caregivers).
This goes hand in hand with
- Placing the child or young person in a protected environment
- Ensuring initial and everyday care that meets the child's needs
- diagnostic clarification and, if necessary, medical and therapeutic assistance
- age-appropriate counselling and support for crisis management
At the same time, parents must also be supported in their parenting role and offered a system of counselling and support services geared towards the different life situations of families. Prospects for the children and young people are worked out together with the youth welfare office and the participating organisations.
The final aim of the temporary, socio-educational protective measure is to find a permanent solution that is in the best interests of the child, such as
- the return of the child or young person to their family of origin, provided the parents themselves are able and willing to avert the danger, if necessary with socio-educational support for the family in the home environment
- Placement of the child with a person of trust or with relatives
- the provision of inpatient educational support, e.g. in a residential youth centre
- Assistance according to other benefit laws